Soldiers, sailors, marines and security personnel operating fixed weapon emplacements which may include weapons, such as but not limited to: the M2HB .50 caliber Machine Gun, MK43 Mod 1 7.62 mm Machine Gun, M240 7.62 mm Machine Gun, M249 5.56 mm Machine Gun, MK48, MK46 weapons, or to weapon mounts and cradles to include but not be limited to the MK16 stand, MK82, MK93, MK95, MK97 and MK125 and to all modifications related to these types of stands and cradles. Positions including these and other weapons may all be exposed to incoming bullets and shrapnel. It is desirable to shield these gunners from incoming fire with minimal compromise to their effectiveness. Currently, most shields are opaque and therefore limit the operator's vision and protection so that while offering protection, the shields also expose gunners and adjacent personnel to fire from sources screened by the opaque shields themselves.
While transparent shields are currently being offered for possible purchase, such shields tend to be very heavy and tend to restrict gun elevation. Adequate gun elevation is necessary for urban combat situations requiring extreme elevation and depression. Moreover, these transparent shields tend to have integral armor skirts which limit visibility in situations where the operator is confronted by threats which occur from below an emplacement, for example, blow emplacements on piers or on the sides, bows and stems of ships. In addition, it is desirable to have transparent shields which may be rapidly retrofitted to existing weapon emplacements and are of minimal weight so that transport, rapid mounting and replacement of transparent shields is facilitated.
There is a need for protective ballistic weapon stands used for fixed weapon emplacements, wherein the ballistic stands protect gunners from incoming bullets and shrapnel while providing support for a weapon or a number of weapons, and wherein the weapon emplacements optionally include transparent shields mounted for cooperation with the protective ballistic weapon stands.
In view of these and other limitations, there is a need for effective transparent shields which retrofit readily to existing emplacements, whether stationary or on vehicles or ships, which transparent shields are minimal in weight without compromising protection provided by the transparent shields.